Lanie “Lanie Jacobs?”The knock on my open office door drew my attention away from the computer screen, where I’d been looking up resources to help a student applying for weekend classes at community college. “Yes?” My jaw dropped at the sight of the giant package the delivery man had leaning against the wall opposite the door. “I’m sorry. Who is this for?”“For you. Sign here.” He handed me the little device, and I quickly signed my name. With him gone, I stood in the hall and gaped at the long, thin package. Who would send something to me at school? And what could it possibly be?Nearly shaking with excitement, I carefully ripped a corner of the brown paper. The edge of a black frame came into view. More delicate ripping and pink appeared.“No,” I gasped. But, yes. It was the painting from Saturday night. The one Andrew had also said he liked. Noticing the little envelope taped to the far end of the frame, I ripped it open, unable to read fast enough. Dear Lanie,Thank you for
Lanie “Lanie Jacobs?”The knock on my open office door drew my attention away from the computer screen, where I’d been looking up resources to help a student applying for weekend classes at community college. “Yes?” My jaw dropped at the sight of the giant package the delivery man had leaning against the wall opposite the door. “I’m sorry. Who is this for?”“For you. Sign here.” He handed me the little device, and I quickly signed my name. With him gone, I stood in the hall and gaped at the long, thin package. Who would send something to me at school? And what could it possibly be?Nearly shaking with excitement, I carefully ripped a corner of the brown paper. The edge of a black frame came into view. More delicate ripping and pink appeared.“No,” I gasped. But, yes. It was the painting from Saturday night. The one Andrew had also said he liked. Noticing the little envelope taped to the far end of the frame, I ripped it open, unable to read fast enough. Dear Lanie,Thank you for
Andrew In the Maserati’s center console, my phone blared with an incoming call. Slowing down at a yellow light, I shot it a glance. Kyle. Instinctively, I went to pick it up, then thought better of it, and silenced the phone instead. From the passenger’s seat, Raven watched me with interest.“I’ve already left work for the day,” I explained. She just turned to look back out the window. Kyle’s call went to voice mail. Whatever the issue, it couldn’t be that pressing. The matter of the missing twenty thousand in the Houghton Graham account had been resolved. I’d gone to work earlier than usual that morning, cutting my predawn laps in the swimming pool by half, so I could get more shit done and leave the office sooner. There would be work to do later, but at that moment, I was right where I needed to be. “I should have gotten tan instead of khaki,” Raven sighed. “What? No. Khaki is a perfect base coat.”“I don’t know,” she mumbled. “Trust me.” I pulled into the edge of the drive an
Andrew Taking my phone down the hallway, I went into the little library across from my room that I never used and closed the door behind me. “Bob,” I answered. “How are you doing?”“Swell. How are you? Haven’t heard your voice in a while.”“Yeah, things have been crazy.” I went to the window and looked down at the backyard, where the covered outside swimming pool and the dilapidated tree house I’d had built for Raven when she was five sat ignored. Maybe it was time to tear that old tree house down and build something in its place. A little studio for Raven, maybe?“Crazy never stops,” Bob answered. On his end, a phone rang. It could only be assumed he was at the office. Like me, Bob lived and breathed work. We’d known each other for years, having met at a work-related—of course—event years before. Though we often went weeks without talking, he was my closest friend. The way we could connect after days of not talking was a testament to the strength of the friendship. Though he was a
Lanie Mom opened the back door of her car and frowned at the pumpkins covering it. “You don’t think this is too early, do you?”“It’s September.” The wind must have been listening, because at my words, it picked up, cutting through my sweater and making me wrap my arms around myself. “None of the neighbors have pumpkins out yet.” She pressed her fingers against her lips in concern. “You’re a maverick. Let’s get them out. It’s so cold.”Not waiting for her next protest, I pushed my way forward and hauled out the closest pumpkin. Once we’d gotten all of them out and set on the front porch, we used the kitchen to escape the chill.“One week before Halloween is a good time to carve,” Mom mused as she frothed milk using the fancy coffee machine Dad had given her on their last anniversary. The contraption was huge and bulky with two group heads for pulling shots of espresso. It could have replaced the espresso machine at the coffee shop near my apartment. Still, it only took up a minuscul
Lanie On the drive to Erica’s, my teeth wouldn’t unclench. My mom had been right about my dad’s reaction to me dating an older guy. My parents were so by-the-book, their heads would probably explode if they knew the man I was going out with was the father of one of my students. Parking at Erica’s, I found myself checking my phone, hoping there would be a text from Andrew. The screen was blank, though. We hadn’t been in touch since our conversation on the phone the day before. I found myself aching to hear his voice. I’d only seen this man twice in person, and yet I already missed him. Was that a bad sign? What if my mom was right after all? Maybe I’d gotten in over my head. Andrew probably had girls fawning over him all the time. If I continued to fall for him but didn’t meet his expectations, nothing would stop him from moving on to the next person. And there I’d be, alone. Right where I’d started. Realizing I was going down the rabbit hole of worry again, I collected my purse and
Andrew On Friday, I got what I wanted. In a sense. Waiting in the car outside of the high school for Raven, the woman who’d been on my mind nonstop exited through the front doors and walked toward the small parking lot on the side of the building. Without any thought, in the blink of an eye, I was out of my car and halfway to her. “Lanie!”She turned, brows furrowed. Recognizing me, though, the hardened expression melted. “Andrew,” she breathed. The hairs all over my body stood on end. I wanted to hear her say my name again and again. “What are you doing here?” she asked, looking all around. “Did you have a parent-teacher meeting?”“No, I came to pick Raven up from school. We’re going to a talk at the library.”“That’s nice.”Come with us sat on the tip of my tongue, but I knew that wasn’t right. The afternoon was supposed to be about Raven and me. And I still hadn’t told my daughter I had a date planned with her school counselor. Dropping the news like a bomb wouldn’t do any goo
Andrew “I’m sorry.” She lethargically turned from the window. “’Kay.” “Really. I am. But ...” Raven slightly turned her face in my direction, still avoiding my eyes but showing she listened. “I like that we’re spending more time together,” I said. “I’m sorry I haven’t been doing that enough. I made a mistake there.” Raven’s stiff shoulders loosened. Noting some promise, I went on. “And as we’ve been spending more time together, I’ve noticed some things that I looked over before.” “Like what?” she warily asked. “Where are your friends, Raven? You used to have so many.” She shook her head, looking away again and getting busy twisting a lock of hair. “That school sucks.” “It’s a big school.” “Yeah, well, there isn’t anyone there like me. Okay?” I kept back a huff. “Not okay. It’s not healthy for you to not have friends. If there isn’t anyone at school that you get along with, let’s get you somewhere you can meet more people your age. Join a club or meetup.” The suggestion sh
Andrew“How are you doing?” I rubbed Lanie’s shoulder, feeling silly for asking the question.She huffed out a breath, looking out the window instead of at me.I nodded. Right, then.What was it I learned in that maternity class we took? For the life of me, I couldn’t remember one thing. My pulse was racing a million miles an hour, and all my nerves were bunching up in my stomach.Lanie exhaled again, long and low, as she had another contraction.The door opened, and the doctor strode into the room with a big smile. “Let’s check you out,” she said.Lanie just pressed her lips tight together and nodded, her face growing red.“You’re doing great, honey,” I told her.She smiled up at me, but I could see the exhaustion in her eyes. She was ready for this to be over with.Taking her hand, I held it tight as the doctor checked her dilation.“Ten centimeters,” she announced. “We’re ready to push.”“Thank god,” Lanie gasped. She gritted her teeth and squeezed my hand so tight, I thought it wa
LanieI whisked the curtains open, taking in the white beach and the sparkling blue water. Palm trees and other foliage covered the far side of the bay. A few people surfed, but other than that, the area was empty.“Oh my god,” I breathed. “It’s beautiful.”Andrew’s strong arms wrapped around me from behind. “Yeah?” he murmured, laying a kiss on the side of my neck.We’d gotten to the resort after dark the night before, and all I’d really gotten to see were the patios and the lobby. I’d pored over the brochure, though, listing all the things I wanted to do.“I can’t believe we’re here for a whole week.” I rested my arms against Andrew’s.“What do you want to do today?”“Mm.” I leaned against him, thinking about it some. “Sunbathe? Take a surfing lesson? I dunno. What do you want to do?”“Spend time with you.”I spun around to face him. “I like that answer.”A knock on the door made me look over his shoulder. “It’s so early. Who is that?”Andrew shrugged but couldn’t hide the knowing l
AndrewThe door of the old house opened, and Erica came out first. She smiled at everyone over her bouquet, and a low whistle came from somewhere in the crowd.“Inappropriate,” Saxton dramatically gasped under his breath. For a moment, my nerves loosened, and I almost laughed—but Raven was coming out the door then.She wore a blue dress like Erica, just cut in a different way, with the skirt longer and no sleeves. Smiling wide, she made her way down the aisle. She walked with the slightest limp, one that might have been unnoticeable if you weren’t paying attention. It was the one leftover symptom from the car wreck, something that would likely be with her for the rest of her life, as she’d broken her leg so badly.The limp didn’t get her down, though. Overall, she’d been positive about the whole thing. Now, as she reached the end of the aisle, she looked my way and absolutely glowed.Love and pride filled my heart. Our relationship had gone through some tough times, but the last six m
Andrew3 Months Later – The Wedding“Your tie looks fine,” Bob told me.“Huh?” I dragged my gaze away from the line of trees ringing the field. “What’s that?”“You were messing with your tie again.” Bob grinned. “You ever wore one of those before?”I frowned. “Almost every day.”Bob clapped me on the back. “I was kidding, Andrew. Relax.”I took in a long breath. “Sorry.”All around us, wedding guests chatted and catering staff hurried to and from. The day was amazing, a balmy June morning. The venue Raven and Lanie had discovered couldn’t be more perfect. What was once a mansion on the outskirts of the city had been turned into a preserve complete with hiking trails and a covered area for events.“Were you this nervous?” I asked, looking Bob over.I expected him to answer in the negative—Bob was just that confident about everything. I’d only asked because I needed to keep myself busy somehow. If I didn’t spend the last fifteen minutes before my wedding talking, I’d probably die of anx
LanieLast night, he’d pulled out every time and played it safe. I knew we were taking baby steps. Going from using a condom every time to suddenly doing away with them was a leap. But I was on birth control, which I’d told him, and immediate pregnancy was extremely unlikely. I just wanted to know what it felt like to have his come fill me up.“Please baby,” I moaned. “I want to feel you.”Andrew groaned above me, and his hands tightened on my ass. I was doing him over with this talk, and I knew it. He loved it. And he probably wanted the same thing I did. So I encouraged him again by looking over my shoulder and looking him in the eye as he fucked me.“Andrew,” I purred. “Fuck me until you come inside me. Please.”And he did. He bucked wildly against me, and I came as he shot his warm silky load inside me. It was what I had needed. A closeness that we’d never experienced before. He was bent over me and kissing my spine and my shoulder blades as his orgasm ebbed away and my body thrum
LanieI woke up in the morning with Andrew’s hand on my hip. I was lying on my side, and he was behind me. I could feel his cock pressed against the small of my back. His breath was on my neck, and his closeness turned me on immediately.I was always horny in the morning, and waking up next to him was intoxicating.It was early. The room wasn’t as bright as it would be at say, seven or so in the morning. It must have been earlier, maybe six, possibly just after five. But we were both awake, and I wanted to take advantage of it before I had to leave for work at eight thirty.My life had somehow mended itself. Erica’s weekend getaway had helped, and so had Andrew’s willingness to take a good hard look at himself in the mirror and figure out what he wanted and whether or not he was willing to do what it took to get it. He shifted against me and yawned deeply.“Morning,” I whispered.His hand moved around my hip to my belly, and he pulled me in closer to him. His cock shifted between my a
AndrewHow had it taken me so long to figure out that this was what I needed? I hadn’t felt this good in years, or maybe even a decade, to be honest. Hell, maybe longer. My career had consumed my life. I’d nearly let it destroy my relationship with my daughter. Had it not been for Lanie, my life would have already imploded. Not only did she rescue the crumbling relationship with the person I loved most in this world, but she also showed me support and kindness and softness.“You’re a lucky bastard.” I smiled to myself as I rolled out of my chair and made for the kitchen.I chopped up some strawberries and tossed them on a bed of whipped cream. I added a sprinkle of icing sugar and some chocolate drizzle and left it in the fridge so that the whipped cream wouldn’t melt by the time Lanie came back down.I waited, much too nervous to do anything but pace the kitchen floor for a whole thirty-five minutes before Lanie appeared in the kitchen doorway. She was wearing a smile that eased my n
AndrewWhen I told Lanie that Raven was home, it took a lot of effort for us to cool down. We were all giggles and flirting as we went to the kitchen and each got a glass of water. Then we went out back to the patio and sat in the sun. Lanie kicked off her sandals, rested her feet in my lap, and let the sun kiss her bare legs. I ran my hands up and down them as she told me all about her weekend with Erica.“It really was beautiful there,” Lanie said. “We should go some time. You’d love the hot springs. I can only imagine how stunning it would be in the winter. And cold.”“I’ll take you whenever you want to go.”“I’ll tell you when I start to get the itch again.”“Good. What else is new? Tell me.”Lanie shrugged and sipped her water. “Besides getting totally pampered all weekend? Not much. I had some good chats with Erica, though, and I was able to sort through some things that were taking up too much space in my mind. Things about us.”“Oh?”“We need to be better at communicating,” sh
Lanie“Lunch on the corner. I saw you guys walk by and had to come after you.” He ran his hand up my hip to rest it on my waist. “Lanie, I have to apologize. I’m sorry for all this shit the last few weeks. I’ve been an ass. I want to make this work. Really. I want to be with you.”I thought I might start crying. Again. But I held on to my emotions and smiled instead. “I want that too. So badly.”He kissed me again. My heart raced and tried to fly out of my chest.He broke away and threw his arm out to flag down a passing cab. We both piled into the back seat, and he told the driver his address. Then he pulled me into his lap, pushed my skirt up so he could rest his hands on my bare thighs, and crushed his mouth against mine.“What about your car?” I asked him and pressed against him tightly.“Fuck it. I’ll get it later.” He slipped his hands into my hair and pulled me down for another long round of kisses.I clung to him and didn’t care that there was someone in the car with us. He wa